Israeli Jets Bomb Sites in Yemen Linked to Iran-Backed Houthis
The New York Times
The strike was retaliation for a drone attack launched from Yemen a day earlier, which evaded Israel’s defenses and hit a building in Tel Aviv, killing one person.
Israeli fighter jets bombed sites in Yemen linked to the Iran-backed Houthi militia on Saturday in retaliation for a deadly drone attack in Tel Aviv a day earlier. It was the first time Israel has publicly struck the group following months of escalating Houthi attacks.
The airstrikes targeted gas and oil depots and a power station that Israel said were used for military purposes in the area of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah. The port is controlled by the Houthis and contains oil export facilities.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, said the operation was “one of the farthest and longest ever conducted by the Israeli air force.” He called the port a major supply route for Iranian weapons to Yemen.
But the Hodeidah port is also a vital conduit for humanitarian aid to impoverished Yemen, and Admiral Hagari said Israel had struck some “dual-use” targets that could be for civilian or military purposes.
The Israeli strike was a response to about 200 missiles and drones launched by the Houthis at Israel over the past several months, according to Admiral Hagari.
Nasruddin Amer, a Houthi spokesman, wrote on social media after the Israeli bombardment that his group would continue to attack Israel as part of a military campaign the group says is an expression of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
